Rubio Redirects $177 Million in Democracy Funds to Far-Right Causes Abroad, Bypassing Congress

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memo obligating nearly $177 million in State Department Democracy Fund money -- including $22 million across ten awards that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen had placed on hold -- to new purposes just before the funds would have lapsed at the September 30, 2026 fiscal year-end. CNN reported the redirected money is going toward Afrikaner-rights advocacy in South Africa, efforts to "safeguard Western civilizational norms" in Europe, opposition to alleged "judicial overreach and censorship" in Brazil, and programs addressing alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria, among other causes. A State Department spokesperson said the president "promised to combat the destructive woke agenda."

Shaheen said the administration was "bypassing Congress" to steer taxpayer money toward "far-right organizations and programs in established democracies," while the department maintains it completed required congressional notifications. Brazil's attorney general, Jorge Messias, called on October 1 for a law-enforcement investigation, saying foreign interference "cannot be tolerated" and calling the reporting "an important alert for Brazilian sovereignty."

The funds have reportedly already been obligated; no court challenge has been reported as of this writing.